The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-04
SLAVERY IN PENNSYLVANIA
Some Of the Abuses Committed Under
Authority of a Medical Certificate.
The Company Doctor"-The Miners Must
Pay Him Whether or No-0ne Doctor,
Drunkard, Who Has 5000 Patients.
1auob chunk Letter in New York World


The doctor OF medicine. sworn by the most
solemn oaths to faithfulness and zeal in the
| prosecution of his noble professionalism often
! he fails through laziness or dishonesty to live
up to the provision of his iron-clad oath, and
prostitutes the erandest of all callings to
| ignoble ends!
| 1t seems almost incredible but it is true, that
the doctor is of the gilded links in the chain
that binds the coal slaves of Pennsylvania Yes,
there are in this unhappy region-men
who wear the honored gown of the doctor of
medicine-who are not ashamed to stoop to the
wringing of unearned and unwillingly given
coins from the palms of the halfstarved miners
and their families. Some of them have grown
fat and wealthy from the money thumb screwed
out of the poor in their behalf One of them.
the member of family of these doctors emer
titus" who twenty years ago travelled about
foot. poor and frlendless. picking up dime
quarter wherever he could-this gentleman is
now the chief proprietor of Hazelbrook, the
hero of the heartless evictions which have since
been frowned upon by the law the builder of
Mauch Chunks most recent palace-Dr. John
Wentz.
few nights ago, while sitting on the porch
of hotel in one of the chief cities in the mining
region, my attention called to a young man,
fashionably dressed, who came staggering up
THAT man is one of the brightest, smartest
doctors in this part of the State" said the cti
zen who attracted my attention to him. but
well, you for yourself that his worst
enemy has got hold of him. 1t is too bad-a
young of such promise and having such
enormous responsibilities"
But surely" | said. "a man with such fail
ing can have no practice to speak off,
"Practce9 Ave, there's the rub. He has
tremendous Practice. 1t is compulsory prac
tice. He is the official physician at two three
collieries. thousand miners, in round num-
bers, with their neutrality-suspicious. five thousand
persons-are under his medical supervision. IL
he would only keep sober 1T would be all right, I
suppose. but. unfortunately, he is not always to
be depended on"
sDo you mean to say cried aehast, s'that
five thousand persons are compelled to rely
the services of young doctor who is drunk
ard7 Impossiblet"
my young friend" returned the old citizen
dryly, there is nothing impossible up in this
country. and pray you not to make the mistake
of thinking there is So far as compulsiou is
concerned in this and other in stances that know
of. the case stands thus: Every married man
working for the companies which make collec-
tions for yonder drunken sawbones is obliged to
pay him So per year-nay, it is locked from his
monthly earnings-and every single man contri-
butes Sc. Ii they wish to pay this tribute and
employ another physician they not denied
that luxury, but as surely man is found out
doing this his services are dispensed with. You
ask whys Ii is this: The company does not
want strange doctors about They want their
own man. And then, when there is accident
in their mines. why. there is coroner's in
quest and no trouble about certificate of death
and all that. Sect"
MY God! Do you mean to say that this is the
TRUTH"
Investigate for yourself. Imake no protesta-
tons"
Well, have investigated, and have found
that the old citizen told the truth. There have
been crimes committed up here-crimes of omis-
sior crimes of comm ission-under this system
of enforced doctoring which prevails at many of
the mines There have been deaths in the
mines-aye, many of them-caused by company
carelessness or avarice. and delicately covered
over by these richly paid medical attorneys.
There have been women in childbirth neglected
because the doctor was off on a bit of Spree
or doing the society in some fashionable
event There have been dying people unat-
tended, though they bad long been taxed for at
tendance, fer do assure you, although in jus
tice be it said that there are many good men and
true among the company DOCTORS" that as a
usual thing the collection of the is much bet
ter looked after than the earning of the came.
But what is the use of talking about the darker
specific crimes which have blackeued the history
of this medical biackmaf The system itself is
crime-R system which places the lives and
health of thousands in the hands of salaried
physician, and in one instance, at least drunk
ard. That it has given birth to monsters of ini-
putty is but natural Slavery the
mother of devils. | call the system medical
blackman advisedly. How much, think you,
does the average miner require the services of
doctor2 In case of childbirth Yes; but in that
case there is a special charge of So for simple
and regular case with higher charges if the case
be difficult In case Of accident9 Yes; bnt in
majority of accidents the company should justly
stand the surgical fees Beyond these cases
there is precious little demand for the doctor in
these mountain attitudes Miners children are
proverbially healthy. Pure air and mountain
water, coarse fare, with no luxuries--for orchards
do not flourish in the middle of coal fields and
candy is unknown in the childhood OF coaldom-
these things make young ones sturdy and disease
a stranger
I've not had the doctor in the house this
twenty year, only when the young uns came"is
q hoar from IF haA pfx
old miners; yet all that time these men have
been bled blackmaed. taken by the throat and
made to stand and deliver at the rate of SO year.
with extra taxation for the only work the
doctors did for them and extra charges for medi-
cine supplied when the little ones came. Oh.
shams-shamel-and in the name Of the least
selfish of professions Do you realize, reader
that this is almost enough to buy S.. 600 worth Of
life insurance in one of tho less expensive COM
panies2 Is not robbery the plain Saxon for it,
Put yourself in the miners place-what would
you call it,
Now, there is no mistake at all about the
compulson in this business. OF course the
practice differs in different mines. but in those
which deal in medical black-mail the rule issusu-
ally strictly enforced Why, only day or two
ago l talked with Benjamin j. Riley very
intelligent miner. who has been working at
Hum bodt, mine not far from Hazleton, where
young DR.. Fruit is the medical monopolist.
Riley said:
Il have a large family, sir which I love and
do all can for, though what with company
stores and company doctors and company rents
| have not been able to do for them / would
like my labor ought to count for That is
fact as God is my judge. Well, sir. loving my
family and not having proper confidence in DR..
Fruit, took the liberty of coming to Hazleton
and hiring nv own doctor When payday came
there was 70 cents against me for a doctor, as
usual on the check. | refused to sign the cou-
pom till this item taken off. You must
know. sir, that We cut coupons at Humboldt.
It is little document we have to sign, saying
that we have looked over the check and waive
the right to all stoppaees. The company looks
out for No. l, you bet Well. l wouldn't sign
DR.. Fruits steal. Sign or quit. was the reply.
I knew if | wouldn't sign the company would
hold back the pay SO long as it pleased. SO I
signed under protest, and then quit. Oh. sir.
it's terri BILE the way poor fellows is robbed
Linderman, Skeer q Co., owns Humboldt.
They pretend to be above the average of opera
this way But that's my case. and you
could find lots of them If you looked about you"
dnctn Of xx-ho icx. in